whats good shoes for slippery boat ramps

[nufin_flash]

hi Guys

not for the time first time today i managed to yet again stack it across a slipperly boat ramp, which has forced a rethink on my part.

whats a good pair of shoes to wear while fishing that gives the best grip in slipperly conditions ?

[Benno1]

i wear my reef walking shoes...helps me both on the ramp and climbing up the front of the boat...sturdy yet flexible sole...comfy as well...worth a try (Mrs Benno1)

[spelchek]

In summer i wear a pair of 'wet shoes' that I bought from bcf for about $25. They are neoprene uppers with rubber soles. They are not wetsuit booties, more like a dunlop volley but the upper made from the wetsuit material. Great grip and no worries about being wet, nor do they let bits of grit/crap in like reef sandals.

In winter its strictly steel toed workboots. Easy to slip on and off, plus keep my tootsies warm AND protect my foot/toes well if I kick somethig or slip into something - I HATE that 'stubbed your toe with cold feet' feeling. They are not super grippy like my summer shoes, but way more forgiving of cold tootsies

[barrabart]

G'day Mate,

Years ago i used to wear brown plastic sandals the brand of them was called Kaydees, i grew up in Cairns and we all called them T.I sandals cause alot of the Thursday Islanders wore them, they were the absoulute best thing for slippery boat ramps, rocks etc, i doudt you would win any fashion awards in them but they lasted forever, i remember reading an article in a fishing mag a few years back and rock fishers were still wearing them and raved about how well they gripped, the tread pattern underneath was like plastic tags under a footy boot but they were close together. They were always sold from army diposal shops from memory, I remember one night returning to the Smiths Creek boat ramp in Cairns with a mate, this ramp was notorius for being slippery as there was a trawler base next to the ramp and there always seemed to be deisel floating on the water and leaving a lovely slippery residue on the already slippery ramp, my mate actually had to crawl on hands and knees to get up the ramp, meanwhile i was jumping around him showing off how deadly my sandals were, as he always put shit on me for wearing them.....hehe

[Red60]

G'day nufin_flash,

I have a pair of Crocs as per the link. They are pretty grippy and great while on the boat, very comfortable to wear all day. They really do reduce your chances of slipping however when you hit a good patch of slime or weed without looking, ain't nothing going to save you from going arse over!



http://www.crocs.com.au/footwear_detail.php?mainID=17

[Noelm]

bare feet?

[Scott nthQld]

Yep, bare feet. You can't get better than what you were born with. Never had a slip on a ramp with no tread

[nuggstar]

big w has some shoes that look like they might do the job.i think there made out of some sort of wetsuit stuff with holes in it and a good rubber sole. but it looks like they would breath quite well and grip the slick stuff and there cheap.

[charleville]

big w has some shoes that look like they might do the job.i think there made out of some sort of wetsuit stuff with holes in it and a good rubber sole. but it looks like they would breath quite well and grip the slick stuff and there cheap.

That is what I use all the time. I generally replace them pretty frequently but at around $8 or $9, they are very affordable and they do the job well enough for me. Having said that though, the ramps that I regularly use are well maintained and not overly slippery.

[lippa]

i just wear my dive boots
super grippy and give protection

[Ready Jet Go]

I love my bare feet but my wife always overtakes me and swears by her "Little grippers" ive never seen her slip in them but i wont tell her that. They have heaps of tiny suction caps on them.

[Little grey men]

my mate actually had to crawl on hands and knees to get up the ramp, meanwhile i was jumping around him showing off how deadly my sandals were

Barrabart, you sound like a true and caring friend....that was funny.

Ready jet go's wife shoes sound handy.....Hey love the frisbee landed on the roof again, go get it will ya......Hang on ...plop...plop...plop....plop...plop.

[theoldlegend]

I've been told that the good old Dunlop Volley sandshoes are as good as anything. Dug out an old pair belonging to one of the daughters once not so long ago and they seemed to scrub up allright.

Fortunately there wasn't too much of an audience around. The colour wasn't what you'd call gung ho, but who cares? They worked.

The grip seemed OK, but you still needed to take care. Apparently some tradies like them while working on roofs.

The downside is that the salt water doesn't do them much good.

TOL

[Nic]

My waterproof Columbia boots do a good job in winter -- so long as I don't wade in too deep, of course! In summer I go barefoot... bare feet seem to grip pretty well.

[Lancair]

Dunlop Volleys are the best non slip shoes ever made.

I used to strip and re-seal/polish vinyl tile floors in supermarkets. When you put the stripper solution on the tile, they go like a cake of sope that has been left wet, the surface turns to a slimy goo. Nothing, repeat nothing could keep you on you feet like dunlop volleys. I could run and stop safely with them on.
BTW It was roof tiler that told me to try volleys.

I wear Crocs on slippery or rocky ramps, easy to put on, kick off and dry quickly for re-use on retrieval.

Andrew